Identification of hub genes and candidate herbal treatment in obesity through integrated bioinformatic analysis and reverse network pharmacology.

Obesity is a global epidemic elevating the risk of various metabolic disorders. As there is a lack of effective drugs to treat obesity, we combined bioinformatics and reverse network pharmacology in this study to identify effective herbs to treat obesity. We identified 1011 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of adipose tissue after weight loss by analyzing five expression profiles (GSE103766, GSE35411, GSE112307, GSE43471, and GSE35710) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We identified 27 hub genes from the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network by performing MCODE using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses revealed that these hub genes have roles in the extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, cholesterol metabolism, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, etc. Ten herbs (Aloe, Portulacae Herba, Mori Follum, Silybum Marianum, Phyllanthi Fructus, Pollen Typhae, Ginkgo Semen, Leonuri Herba, Eriobotryae Folium, and Litseae Fructus) targeting the nine hub genes (COL1A1, MMP2, MMP9, SPP1, DNMT3B, MMP7, CETP, COL1A2, and MUC1) using six ingredients were identified as the key herbs. Quercetin and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate were determined to be the key ingredients. Lastly, Ingredients-Targets, Herbs-Ingredients-Targets, and Herbs-Taste-Meridian Tropism networks were constructed using Cytoscape to elucidate this complex relationship. This study could help identify promising therapeutic targets and drugs to treat obesity.

Efficacy of ginseng supplements on disease-related fatigue: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Ginseng has been believed to provide energy, physical health, and well-being to patients for hundreds of years. Fatigue is a multidimensional symptom with unknown etiology and varying severity, and lots of patients suffer from fatigue. METHODS: We search for research of ginseng treatment of disease-related fatigue in adult patients in Pubmed, Embase, Medline, and Cochrane library. Two independent reviewers assessed included studies and met to develop consensus on included studies. And we used Review Manager 5.3 software to evaluate the risk of bias. RESULTS: The present meta-analysis included 12 randomized controlled trial containing 1298 patients. In the fixed-effect meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trial, ginseng supplements had a statistically significant efficacy on disease-related fatigue reduction (standardized mean difference = 0.33, 95% confidence interval = 0.44-0.22). CONCLUSIONS: The use of ginseng supplements is benefit for patients to reduce disease-related fatigue.

Effectiveness and safety of different academic schools of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of obesity: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a global epidemic. Since 1975, the global obesity rate has almost tripled. Although many systematic reviews and clinical trials have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can effectively treat obesity, the effectiveness and safety of different academic schools of TCM in treating obesity have not been systematically evaluated. METHODS: The retrieval language of this study was Chinese and English. From the date of creation of the following data to June 2023, the data of Medline, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Science Network, China Biomedical Literature Database, Central Controlled Trial Registration Center, and China Science Journal Database were retrieved, respectively. This study included clinical randomized controlled trials related to the treatment of obesity by different academic schools of TCM. The main outcome measures were body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist hip ratio, body fat content, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and blood lipid level. In addition, we manually searched other resources, including reference lists of identified publications, conference articles, and gray literature. RESULTS: This study will provide a more diverse choice of treatment options. CONCLUSION: The purpose of this study is to summarize and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different academic schools of TCM in improving and treating obese patients from clinical trials, so as to provide more options for obesity treatment.

Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture combined with hot compress in the treatment of obese adolescents with insulin resistance: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the incidence of obesity patients has become younger and younger, and adolescents are gradually becoming one of the groups with a high incidence of obesity. Although several systematic reviews and clinical trials suggest that acupuncture and warm compresses may be effective in the treatment of obesity, the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture combined with warm compresses in the treatment of obesity insulin resistance (IR) in adolescents have not been systematically reviewed. METHODS: The search language of this study is Chinese and English, and the data of Medline, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Web of Science, China Biomedical Literature Database, Central Controlled Trial Registration Center, and China Scientific Journal Database were searched for this study respectively, from the date of creation of the above data to December 2022. Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture combined with warm compresses in adolescents with obese IR were included in this review. Main outcome measures were body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, IR index, body fat content, blood lipid level and blood pressure, etc. In addition, we manually retrieved other resources, including reference lists of identified publications, conference articles and gray literature. RESULTS: This study will provide more clinical treatment ideas and options for adolescent obese IR patients. CONCLUSION: The purpose of this study is to summarize and evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with hot compress in treating obesity IR in adolescents from clinical trials.

Abdominal Massage Alleviates Skeletal Muscle Insulin Resistance by Regulating the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Pathway.

Abdominal massage (AM), a traditional Chinese medicine-based treatment method, has received considerable attention in the recent years. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of AM on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance (IR) in comparison with resveratrol (RSV) treatment. Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following four groups: standard chow diet (control group), high-fat diet (model group), HFD + abdominal massage (AM group), and HFD + resveratrol (RSV group). A rat model of IR was established by feeding HFD to rats for 8 weeks followed by treatment with AM or RSV for 4 weeks. The underlying HFD-induced IR molecular mechanisms were studied in rat serum and skeletal muscles. RSV and AM significantly improved glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, obesity, and significantly reduced lipid accumulation [triglyceride (TC), total cholesterol (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)], adipocytokine [free fatty acids (FFA), adiponectin (ADPN)] and serum pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) secretion. In addition, AM activated the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway in rat skeletal muscle. In conclusion, our results showed that AM could improve IR by regulating the secretion of adipocytokines, pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as related signaling pathways in the skeletal muscle of rats, which might provide insights into development of new treatment methods for the clinical treatment of IR.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: The current status of its epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment in China.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a type of intractable and rare disease, and its epidemiology in China is still unclear. The diagnosis and treatment of IPF has received considerable attention and two editions of guidelines on IPF diagnosis and treatment have been published by the Chinese Society of Respiratory Diseases. Treatment of IPF with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely investigated in China and several types of TCM extracts are reported to be effective in animal models. One effective treatment is lung transplantation; this treatment has been successfully performed in China, yielding satisfactory long-term survival.